Billionaire's Long Journey of Chasing His Love-Chapter 444 - 386 Regretting Only Now, It’s Too Late (Second Update)
You lingered hesitantly, Mi Chenxuan tugged at your arm with too little strength, failing to pull you along.
Mi Chenxuan asked suspiciously, "What are you doing? Got a masochistic streak?"
You blinked forcefully and said, "Learning how others date. It’s an assignment your mom gave me."
Mi Chenxuan frowned and questioned, "Why would my mom make you learn that?"
You replied innocently, "She said that the two of us together feel like we’re playing house."
"Don’t listen to my mom’s nonsense! What’s wrong with playing house? I think it’s pretty great!" Mi Chenxuan hooked his arm around your shoulder and dragged you toward the door.
He pushed the door open just as Mai Zekai pulled it from the other side. In that instant, their gazes locked, and they both snorted in mutual disdain.
"Snail! Good thing Fourth Sister-in-law isn’t in dire straits. If her life depended on waiting for this bottle of medicine, would she even make it?"
Mai Zekai raised his hand and gave him a light slap. "Watch your mouth! Fourth Sister-in-law is fine but you’re talking like she isn’t!"
"Peh, peh, peh! Consider me silent. Hurry and get that IV for Fourth Sister-in-law." Mi Chenxuan pulled Mai Zekai inside and walked you out of the room, hand in hand.
After Mai Zekai entered the room, he placed the medicine bottle down, checked on Yi Luowa’s condition briefly, and prepared to hook up the IV.
Tong Airui asked skeptically, "Are you even good at needlework? If the needle doesn’t go in properly, won’t Fourth Sister-in-law have to suffer another stab?"
"I just hope it doesn’t come to a third stab!" Mai Zekai shot him a glare. "This medicine is very effective for stabilizing pregnancy. After three bottles, the baby should be fine."
Tong Airui’s brows furrowed in dissatisfaction. "I don’t want to hear words like ’should.’ I need absolute certainty!"
"I can guarantee ninety-nine percent, excluding external factors—like you." Mai Zekai chuckled as he disinfected the bottle cap and attached the IV tube. "Over these next eight to nine months, you better behave like a monk. If anything else happens, it won’t be as simple as now."
Tong Airui pointed at the IV tube. "There are still air bubbles in there. Get rid of them before administering to Fourth Sister-in-law."
"I know. Don’t try to change the subject. What I said earlier wasn’t a joke—it was advice between a doctor and a patient’s family member. During pregnancy, the first three and last three months are the most dangerous. Looking at Fourth Sister-in-law’s current state, even the middle months won’t..."
"Air bubbles!" Tong Airui interrupted again.
Yi Luowa laughed and patted his arm lightly. "Listen to what Little Seven says and remember it. Dr. Hong told me the same thing this morning."
"I don’t need to remember. I already know." Tong Airui lowered his lips and glanced at Yi Luowa. "This one is all we need."
"Hahaha..." Mai Zekai burst into laughter. "Haven’t even gotten there yet, but you’re already losing your patience?"
"Only those who endure it understand," Tong Airui frowned slightly. "How’s Shanshan doing lately?"
"Eating well, sleeping well—no issues at all."
Mai Zekai finished his preparations just as Dr. Hong came through the door.
"Dean Mai, let me handle this!"
"Alright. If I end up stabbing her twice, my Fourth Brother will beat me up."
Yi Luowa smiled as Dr. Hong approached with the needle. "Just stay relaxed. The more tense you are, the less accurate the jab."
Dr. Hong nodded and smiled.
Dr. Hong’s needlework was skillful—just one insertion and blood return was visible.
Under the effects of the stabilizing medicine and with the attentive care of Tong Airui and Dr. Hong, Yi Luowa’s condition gradually improved.
When Dr. Hong announced that Yi Luowa could begin walking around the room, a smile finally emerged on Tong Airui’s face.
Tong Airui helped Yi Luowa take two laps around the room before his phone suddenly rang.
Tong Airui glanced at the caller ID and quickly answered.
"Phantom, did you succeed?"
"Yes, they just arrived. I threw Ruan Jiajia into the Min Chang Tribe. Oh, boy—she barely stepped inside before those savages pounced on her. Tsk tsk... those barbarians truly have no compassion. Do you think she’ll just kick the bucket there? Ruan Dawang is searching far and wide for her—I’m tempted to invite him over to witness his daughter’s misery. Haha..."
"Let him search at his leisure," Tong Airui chuckled softly.
"Should I stay here to enjoy the show, or head back?"
"Head back."
"Understood!"
Tong Airui hung up the call, his smile growing wider.
Yi Luowa gave him a glance, "Such good news—you don’t plan on sharing it with me?"
"Aren’t you afraid it’ll be bad for the baby to hear?" Tong Airui asked teasingly.
Yi Luowa blinked. "The baby is asleep right now."
"Haha... Wife, you’re just you—it’s hard to change that. But I like you this way!" Tong Airui helped her back onto the bed. "I’ll tell you. Once I’m done, we can resume walking."
"Alright." Yi Luowa tilted her head toward him. "Quickly tell me while the baby sleeps."
Tong Airui chuckled. "Min Chang is a lawless territory inhabited by the most barbaric tribes. Men who wander into their midst are eaten alive; women are kept to breed offspring. The tribe has few women and plenty of men, living in polyandry—each woman has more than a dozen husbands. An outsider like Ruan Jiajia entering their tribe will spend her days worse than a prostitute’s. If she bears children... even she won’t know who their father is."
Yi Luowa hesitated, her hand instinctively caressing her abdomen.
"Still want to keep listening?"
"It sounds unsettling, but I want to know more. What to do?"
"I’ll keep it brief then. After entering Min Chang, there’s only one end for Ruan Jiajia: death. She’ll never escape."
"Won’t Ruan Dawang find her?"
"Min Chang is over 500 kilometers from the western border. Even if Ruan Dawang tries every trick in the book, he won’t imagine she’s living a life worse than an animal there."
Yi Luowa was incredulous. "Phantom managed to transport her that far in just half a day!?"
"That includes the time he spent extracting Ruan Jiajia from the camp," Tong Airui smirked. "Next, you might ask how many people like Phantom I have under me, right?"
Yi Luowa shook her head repeatedly. "No need to ask—that’s your secret."
Tong Airui smiled and kissed her on the forehead. "It’s no big deal to tell you the numbers. I have twenty-five, with one more potential recruit that makes it twenty-six. As for the rest—no matter what, you won’t get any details out of me."
Yi Luowa smiled faintly. She hadn’t intended to press further.
...
Min Chang Tribe
A group of men and women with leaves wrapped around their waists sang and danced around a bonfire.
Under the flickering firelight, the only visible features were their gleaming white teeth.
Ruan Jiajia, waking again after several bouts of unconsciousness, stared in despair at the coal-black savages.
She tried moving her body, choking back the pain, and crawling away in the direction opposite the bonfire. Her only thought now was to escape. If she stayed any longer, death was her only fate.
A whistle rang out behind her, and moments later, two men carrying torches approached.
Realizing she was being pursued, Ruan Jiajia attempted to crawl faster. But how could she possibly outrun those men?
One of them reached her first and pressed a torch onto her foot.
"Ah—!" Ruan Jiajia screamed in agony, nearly passing out from the pain.
The man wielding the torch wasn’t finished. He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her to a large tree. The other man helped him string her up.
The tribespeople gathered around, wielding clubs, taking turns striking her body. Unable to communicate, they resorted to this form of warning: Escape? No chance!
Ruan Jiajia wailed continuously, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the torment in her heart. Regret welled up within her—if only she hadn’t tried to harm Yi Luowa’s unborn child, she wouldn’t have ended up here. If only she hadn’t come to the border, this wouldn’t have happened.
But her regret arrived too late—far, far too late!
